Update – May 2019Based on comments from reviewers and changes, we’ve decided to temporarily discontinue the Wide Mouth Lamb ‘N’ Kid Feeding Bottle until the design and production quality can be improved. We are targeting late Summer 2019 before new inventory is available for purchase. We apologize for the inconvenience.—Premier

How to Use

Cutting the Pritchard Teat—Teats are supplied with no hole in the end and must be cut before use. Two different techniques can be used to cut the teat:

The most common technique is to use sharp scissors and snip the tip off cross-ways. The more you snip, the bigger the hole, so don't overdo it.

An alternate method is to not cut off the tip, but instead carefully slit the end into two halves with a razor. The two halves snap back together when not in use and self seal the end of the teat. Most importantly, this self-sealing method of cutting the teat allows you to place the teat in a partially inverted position, from which the lambs can suck at will.

When feeding, position the teat as high as a normal mother’s teat, about 9"–12" above the ground.

Why so low? When a young ruminent stretches out its neck to nurse, their esophagus elongates and forms a groove that carries the milk into the 4th stomach (the abomasum).

If the neck is not stretched, the milk falls into the first stomach instead of the 4th. But the first stomach is intended for grass and hay. It doesn’t digest milk well. A first stomach with too much milk enlarges to form a “potbelly”—and the lamb/kid can’t thrive.

Position the teat about 9"–12" above the ground so the lamb or goat kid must stretch its neck to nurse.

Precautions

Be sure not to lose the tiny metal ball that rattles when you shake
the teat. The teat will leak without this ball. This rarely happens
and primarily only from washing the teats too aggressively.

Do not use Clorox® to disinfect teats. The strong chemical reacts with the latex and can cause rapid disintegration of the teat. Be aware of imitation Pritchard Teats currently on the market. They can be identified by their stiffer, molded rubber material. Pritchard Teats are made with soft pliable latex. We have found in experimenting with imitation teats that they are difficult to use with weak lambs, goat kids or tiny lambs from triplets or quads.

Do not leave teats sitting in the sunlight. Especially do not leave them sitting on a window ledge inside a building. This "greenhouse" situation has been known to heat the red latex until it melts into a gooey blob. As all areas of high heat are bad for this type of latex, it's best not to leave them close to an "active" wood stove or furnace.

Do not clean the teats in boiling water. Use only warm water with a small amount of dishwashing detergent.

Listed below are recommended optional components or related items. Your particular situation may require alternative recommendations. Please call and talk to our consultants if there are any questions at 800-282-6631.

Write a Review

I found that not all of the lids were interchangeable. Some lids would not tighten up on certain bottles. Also, not all of the Pritchard teats would tighten on some of them. I really like the concept of the bottles, but perhaps mark which lid fits which bottle when you are going to use them.

Wide Mouth Lamb 'N' Kid Feeding Bottle

★★★★★

May 16, 2019

Cheryl I
from Florida

Something in the manufacturing and quality control of these wide mouth bottles has definitely changed since my last purchase. And not for the better! At first I thought the raised numbers on the outside of the bottle would be an improvement over the blue stamped on designation of the past that washed off after repeated use. However it became quickly obvious that the numbers are nearly impossible to see even in optimal lighting. Then there is the issue of the bottles not being molded so they are flat on the bottom. Filling a bottle that rocks while doing so is irritating at best. Lastly, there is the problem of the yellow caps not being threaded properly to connect with the blue top. Twice two week old lambs managed to pull them off spilling the entire bottle of replacer. This was not operator error on my part because I check them each time I fill them. Even when I turn them to be sure they are securely screwed on, I have found that when I pull straight up they pop right off. Plumbers tape around the threads temporarily fixes the problem but has to be renewed often.

Widemouth bottles and Pritchard teats that I’ve ordered in the past did not present these problems. In fact I was thrilled to have found them but not so much now. I’m glad to see that Premier1 has suspended the sale of these bottles until the problems are remedied. I just wish they had made that decision a week earlier before I paid for something that is absolutely annoying to deal with when you have hungry lambs.

Wide Mouth Lamb 'N' Kid Feeding Bottle

★★★★★

May 13, 2019

Lauren M
from Virginia

We’ve used these bottles for a while and have loved them. BUT with this last purchase (5/19), the bottles were flimsy, the side measurements are impossible to read and the lids didn’t fit well.

Wide Mouth Lamb 'N' Kid Feeding Bottle

★★★★★

April 30, 2019

Alisia P
from Wisconsin

This bottle is much more convenient to use than ones I've bought previously. The double lid makes it easy to pour milk or formula powder into the bottle. The measurement marks were in raised plastic so they didn't rub off immediately. And the Pritchard teat is a durable rubber and easily cut to adjust the flow of milk.

Wide Mouth Lamb 'N' Kid Feeding Bottle

★★★★★

April 29, 2019

Ruth A
from Texas

Agree with other recent reviews. Bottom if bottle is rounded and tips easily when trying to fill. If you are trying to feed more than one baby, it is too time consuming messing with all the parts, two lids to screw on and off and a rubber seal that doesn't seem to fit correctly and is constantly falling out. Wide mouth bottle was enticing but if you wash your bottles right away it is not worth the trouble. Bottles that go with the yellow nipples and a funnel work better for us and can be used in the blue bottle racks that attach to fence or panels. Can't read numbers in the bottle they are not marked in black or blue. Just raised plastic. This also costs you time at every feeding.

About Conductivity

Conductivity measures the amount of electrical current a material can carry. The opposite measure is known as resistance.

Many of Premier’s nets feature a green and white superconductor that has both stainless steel and tinned copper filaments for optimal conductivity. These “premium” nets are 10 times more conductive (38 ohms per 1000') than our “basic” nets. This enables the electric pulse to travel much farther and be less affected by weed contact.

We do not recommended the basic nets listed below for fences exceeding 500 ft in length:

Customers who are unhappy with netting are often those who’ve chosen one of these or their farmstore equivalents. Why do we offer them? Because they are similar in design and conductivity (380 ohms) to nets from our competitors—and comparisons make decisions easier.

Types of Line Posts

Line posts are built into the net. Three options are available.*

Single Spike (SS)The best choice, unless your soils are always soft or very hard.

Double Spike (DS)Posts allow you to push in the spikes with your foot. When soil is hard or rocky, double spikes are more difficult to install and remove.

Drivable Posts (DP)Allows use of a mallet or dead blow hammer for installing posts in dry, hard or rocky soil. Features a “spike stop” for extra support and internal fiberglass ribs for added strength.

Tip: To insert a line post into frozen or hard soil, use a power tool to drill pilot holes.

* Not all fences have all line post options.

About Positive/Negative (Pos/Neg) Nets

Is your area dry?

Conventional electrified fence systems rely on soil moisture to be effective. However, not all areas have the required moisture.

To overcome this, Pos/Neg nets* are wired to allow the use of every other horizontal strand as an extension of the ground terminal. Because half the strands are connected to the ground terminal or ground rod, reliance on soil moisture is reduced. A PowerLink must be purchased separately to make the secondary ground connection.

How it works…

In order to receive a shock, the animal must touch both a positive (hot) and negative (grounded) strand at the same time. This will deliver more pain to the animal than an all hot net (Pos/Pos) because moisture in the soil is not required to complete the circuit.

Pos/Neg fences can be converted to Pos/Pos in moist conditions. Remember, all fences must be kept free of vegetation.

* Not all fences have Pos/Neg options.

Line Post Spacing

“Plus” nets—6'8" spacings between built-in line posts*

Standard nets—10' or 12' spacings between built-in line posts*

* Spacings are approximate. Distance between built-in line posts may vary by product.

Essential Energizer Advice

Buy a larger energizer than necessary. When the fence pleases, most folks will buy more fence—and need additional output.

Shipping Zones

Dr. Dan Morrical, Ph.D.Premier 1 Supplies

Dan Morrical joined the Iowa State University staff in 1984 as Extension Sheep Specialist after completing his doctorate degree at New Mexico State University. He held the rank of Full Professor as of July 1, 1995 and retired from full-time teaching in 2017.

While at Iowa State University, Dr. Dan Morrical was responsible for educational programs in all areas of sheep production, ranging from nutrition, genetics, marketing and management. Research areas focused on applied projects in the areas of nutrition, forage utilization, genetics, out-of-season breeding and lamb survival.

Dr. Morrical has been heavily involved in providing educational resources to the sheep industry. He has authored over 30 extension fact sheets, ration balancing software programs, grazing videos and co-authored the nutrition chapter of the SID Handbook with Dr. Margaret Benson from Washington State University.

Dr. Morrical now serves as Premier’s on-staff small ruminant nutritionist and sheep production advisor. Most recently, he’s introduced a line of “GOLD FORMULA” mineral premixes under The Shepherd’s Choice® brand, aimed to maximize hoof health and immunity.